If You're Gone
by Lynx and Banner
Summary: A collection of drabbles, one-shots, and multi-shots centering around Jane and Thor. Warning: May contain dark themes, fluff, lack of Poptarts, and touchy subjects. It will probably contain some Loki/Darcy interaction as well. Specific warnings and notes are posted in each chapter.
1. If

Jane sighed for the _n_th time that day. Darcy looked on in concern, but knew better than to approach her. The worried girl just turned back to her work. The sooner she finished, the sooner they were just half a step closer to completing Jane's research.

They were in a new, bigger, better research center. It was two in the morning some time in the middle of the week. Jane lost count of the days easily lately. Notes, coffee mugs, figures, and various other things littered her desk. She ignored them in favor of sorting a progressively difficult equation.

Things had been like this since Thor left, six months ago now. Jane spent the first few days waiting. She didn't eat, barely left the landing site, and refused to believe anything but that he would return. Until she came to terms and realized something went wrong, she was practically a robot. After that, she began to work obsessively on finding a way to bring him back. Many different theories were drawn up, disproved, and discarded. This was her cycle until she was only left with one. Now, she was working on her originial theory and had improved upon it. It seemed like it could work. If she could just finish this equation, he could be back in a matter of weeks. If she could just finish the _damn equation_! If she could just... If...

Darcy jumped at Jane's sound of frustration. She didn't flinch when the woman stood up and slammed one of her binders (no doubt containing information she deemed useless) against the wall. Papers flew everywhere and Jane merely slid down the wall as tears soaked her face. Darcy's heart fell to the floor. Jane was so torn up lately; she was in so much pain. And not like bad-break-up pain, but like husband-dying-in-a-forgien-country-at-war pain. It was very well a possibility that Thor was dead, but Jane hadn't let herself come to that yet. But Jane was here and now, and she was crying again. Darcy and Jane weren't incredibly close, but Jane didn't have anyone else that she could confide in here. S.H.I.E.L.D. was pretty strict about not telling any outsiders that the hunky man in her Facebook picture was a god from another galaxy.

"Jane," Darcy said softly. She approached her friend slowly, hoping this wasn't one of the times Jane was mad at everyone in the universe that wasn't the god of thunder. Jane looked up at her pathetically. Awkwardly, she gathered the sobbing woman in her arms and let her cry. Again. This was a regular thing lately. "Its alright. We'll figure it out. You know we will."

Her hands bunched up back of Darcy's shirt. "I don't know if I can. Its just so _hard_. If Erik were here to help, or if I could just _stop crying _for five minutes... If I didn't feel so _miserable _all the time. If Thor would just_ come back_!" After a few minutes of sobbing and sniffling, she mumbled against her friend's shoulder, "I miss him."

"I know you do. I miss Zeus too. He'll come back. And if he can't, we'll bring him back. Then he'll be here to eat all the Poptarts and slam coffee mugs around. But we have to work for it. That's why you have me slaving away at the computer day and night, going over notes. It's also why we're out of coffee." Her joking brought a light smile to Jane's face, but the worried crease in her forehead deepened.

"I'm sorry I'm working you so hard. You can take time off-"

"No," Darcy cut in. "I'm perfectly happy being a slave to bring back your hunk."

Jane smiled wanely. "Thank you, Darcy."

"No problem boss. Now, pick up your notes and get back to that damn math I don't understand."

**Author's Notes:**

**1** This collection of drabbles won't be updated regularly. It's basically an outlet for any random inspiration, when I don't feel like writing for my other stories, or when I don't need to write for my other stories but feel like writing.

**2** Not all of these drabbles/chapters will be this short, this depressing, ect. They probably won't be in order either. Some of them may not even be connected.

**3** I will most likely mention a very foul cat named Leo in this at some point. This refers to my story Strays. You don't have to read it, but the cat thing would make sense.

**4** There probably won't even be an Authors Notes with half of these.

**5** I like Darcy. I like Loki. Cameos will be often.

**6 ** Reviews are lovely.

**7** Some of these may be AU. I will warn you.

**That is all.**


	2. Seven Minutes in Heaven

"Oh my god, Jane, hurry up! Hurry!" Darcy tugged at her friend's sleeve, attempting to drag her along.

"Darcy, just hold on a minute. Do you know how unprofessional you sound right now?"

"Dude, its _Tony friggin' Stark_. There is no room for professionalism when I'm about to explode from fangirling! Now hurry!"

Jane sighed and gave in. She allowed herself to be manhandled to wherever Tony Stark currently was. He had arrived at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base a few hours ago, and Darcy was dying to see him. Jane was also excited to meet Mr. Stark, but only because he was here to help figure out the wormhole issues. Hopefully, he could help bring Thor back. They were getting so close...

"Ohmigod, he's right there! Right. There, Jane."

"Darcy, calm down, will you? Don't embarrass yourself, or me, in front of Tony Stark."

The girl took a few deep breaths, until a giant smile broke out across her face. "Its Tony friggin Stark!"

"Mr. Stark or even Tony will do, actually," came a very amused, drawling voice. Darcy froze, before slowly turning around.

"You're Tony Stark!"

"I am Tony Stark."

"I'm a giant fan. You're amazing. And Iron Man is totally the best superhero ever," Darcy ignored the dark look Jane gave her at this, "because it's just you. In a suit that you built. You don't even have to have a super power to kick ass!" Darcy looked flustered, but not at all embarrassed about what she just said.

Tony Stark chuckled. "Do you want an autograph, too?"

Jane was pretty sure he was joking, but Darcy pulled out a slip of paper and a pen anyway. "I would love an autograph!"

Stark looked at Jane. "Are you Miss Foster?"

"Yes, and this is my assistant, Darcy Lewis."

"Well, Miss Foster, your friend Darcy here comes prepared. She sounds like a pretty good assistant." He took the paper and pen from Darcy, waving a man over. He used the man's back to sign the page. "And I know a good assistant when I see one."

"Tony! Stop flirting and get back to work!"

The three turned to see a pretty blonde woman scowling at Stark. He gave her a large smile. "Like Miss Potts over there. Best assistant I've ever had." He handed the autograph to Darcy. "I don't want to see that on eBay, Miss Lewis."

"Why the hell would I sell this? It's Tony Stark's autograph!" She smiled at him.

"Good girl. Now, Miss Foster, if you could follow me. I've got a few ideas for this manmade wormhole..."

**OoOoO**

It took them a few days, but with Tony's suggestions, they were ready to test the wormhole. Jane, Erik, and Darcy stood behind a protective wall. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were fanned out along the perimeter of the site, making sure no strays wandered in. Jane gripped the edge of the viewing panel as Stark began to start the procedure. She would have done it, had her hands not been shaking. Erik opted out and Tony was more than happy to take the spotlight.

Time almost seemed to freeze as she watched the wormhole, waiting for a reaction. After a few minutes, miraculously, it began to work. The portal sprang to life; she nearly cried in relief. But it wasn't over yet.

She didn't look away. Just because it worked on their side didn't mean it would work on his...

"Jane! It works! It's working Jane, we can bring him back!"

A tight smile flitted across her lips. She still didn't turn to Darcy or begin celebrating with her friend. She was waiting. Erik placed his hand on her shoulder, waiting with her. He understood the possibility - the probability - that the portal only worked one way. Darcy danced around happily. A few people were approaching her, but she didn't care. She vaguely heard Erik shooing the people away. Now was not the time to talk. Her grip tightened on the edge. It just had to work. Months of research, crying, late nights, math, more research, more crying, coffee, and waiting were all leading up to this. She survived all of that for this precious few minutes that held the chance of Thor returning to her. As each second ticked by, her hope diminished. It had been a full four minutes since the start. Surely they would have noticed it by now, she thought. Tears welled up in her eyes. Please work. Please, please, please work. Erik's arm went around her, keeping her up. Jane didn't even blink, just kept staring. Whoever was counting out the time was nearly at seven minutes when the portal shimmered.

She pressed herself against the glass, still waiting.

And then... Yes, there, was it...? She dared to let her hope flare again. If it wasn't him, she would be crushed. More than crushed.

But...

Emotions rolled over her, stronger than anything she had ever felt before. Yes, it was him! Thor had returned! He was back!

Jane bolted for the exit, struggling against the agents that tried to hold her back. This was no time for security measures.

"Let me through, damn you, he's back! Thor!" Her cries could probably be heard in town, but she didn't care as long as he heard her. "Thor!" She was vaguely aware of Darcy and Erik trying to make the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents release her and let her see Thor. She didn't care, just kept struggling until, finally, she was free.

Thor met her halfway, yanking the door open so hard it fell off. Jane launched herself into his arms and cried for everything she was worth. She didn't care.

Thor was back. He hadn't forgotten about her. Everything could be okay again.

**Author's Notes:**

**1** I totally took the title, again (seeing as how this entire collection is based on a song title), of the song I was listening to at the time. Fall Out Boy. They're glory in a speaker.  
**2** This one wasn't depressing! :D  
**3** I sincerely hope I did their reunion justice. It wasn't easy to write.  
**4 ** One of my reviewers mentioned that Tony was a total fanboy. Well, I thought he could use a fangirl. And I love Darcy. Everything works out.


	3. Cat Fight

"Jane," Dracy whined, "Zeus's horrid cat took my bed. Every time I try to sit down, he yowls at me. I'm pretty sure what he's saying is cat for _Damn you, two-legs, this bed is too comfortable for the both of us_. Or something like that."

"Darcy, you're ridiculous." Nonetheless, Jane retrieved Leo. He was still horribly ugly, with lighter orange fur with lighter striped fur that needed a combing (which he refused), too-long claws, various scars and marks, bug eyes, and paws nearly as big as its face. But Thor loved his "warrior pet" for all of its flaws. So she set Leo down in front of his food and continued with her work.

It may have been an hour later when she was disrupted by Thor coming in the door, his voice booming as he announced his presence. A smile lit her face as she rushed to greet him. Jane stopped short when she saw what he was holding.

"Thor... What's that?"

"I saw a tiny girl on the road near the diner with glorious coffee, and she had a box full of them. It was my duty to bring these two home. Now you and Darcy have a wonderful pet!" He beamed at her, pushing one of the animals towards her.

"Uhm, Thor, I don't think Leo will agree with this, and Darcy's allergic to-"

A loud, low-pitched growl stopped her. She turned, finding a scrunched up, hissing Leo sitting on the arm of the couch. He swatted an overly large paw at the offending mammal.

"Warrior pet!" Leo crouched low at the god of thunder's words, but did not cease in his growling. "There is no need to be defensive against such adorable creatures. Besides, dogs are a man's best friend. Although, I'm not quite sure how a man and a dog are able to be friends, considering the speech problem..."

"Cats don't really _like _puppies, Thor." As if one cue, Leo's growling grew in volume. The puppies in Thor's arms squirmed (to no avail, of course) and tried to jump down. "Cats and dogs don't get along. And Darcy's allergic to dogs. I think we'll have to take them back."

"Take them back where? The small girl smiled at me and left. There is no box for them to return to!"

"We'll have to take them to the pet shop, see if they'll take them."

"I apologize, Jane. I merely wanted you to feel as happy with a pet as I do."

She smiled gently at him. "It's fine, Thor. You couldn't have known how cats and dogs fight. Or that Darcy can't have a dog. We'll just take the puppies to the pet shop."

He rumbled a consent. They walked to the pet store, the dogs wiggling in his strong arms. Leo growled until the apartment's door was closed behind them.

It took her a while to convince Thor the puppies needed to be given to the pet shop owned. He was very disappoint he could not have the "yapping, furry things" as pets as well. Jane explained about Leo; the owner was a bit bland, but agreed to take the dogs. They returned home to a sneezing Darcy. She gave Thor a look that seemed to curse the air he breathed. Leo was curled up on the couch, looking rather regal for a napping cat.

"Jane?"

"May we one day have a yapping, furry puppy?"

Jane smiled at him again. She laced their fingers together, leading him to the couch. They sat down and Leo curled up in Thor's lap. "Of course we can. Until then, we have this pet here." Cautiously, she reached over to stroke Leo's back. He didn't growl, but he didn't purr.

Progress.

Author's Notes:

1 This is rather short. I apologize.  
2 Leo, the cat, is a reference to my one-shot _Strays_. They find a cat and Thor wants to keep it. It's full of fluff.


	4. Everybody Talks

Jane Foster closed the door to her van, waving offhandedly at Darcy in the passenger seat as she did so. As soon as she was fully out of the van, she regretted it. The heat was nearly unbearable. Grumbling, she began striding towards the doors to the local grocer and pulled her hair up in a neat ponytail. It wouldn't do to have it sticking to her neck in the heat. She always felt gross when that happened. She entered the store, nodding at an older woman as she did so. She missed the scandalized look thrown her way.

The scientist walked through the store, looking for the right ingredients. She didn't cook too often; research kept her much too busy for that. Her foot idly tapped to the beat of some song playing throughout the grocery store as she debated which type of rice would go better with the dish. Making up her mind, she reached for one - only to see yet another type. With a frown, Jane withdrew her hand and continued her internal debate.

Just as she was about to reach for her (hopefully) final choice, she felt a pair of eyes on her back. Casually, she grabbed the rice and turned on her heel to exit the aisle. She just happened to catch someone staring at her. After a moment, the scientist recognized the woman as one of the waitresses from the diner she often went to. Paranoia easing up, Jane smiled at the woman. In turn, the woman gave her a confused look and fled the aisle. Jane shrugged it off and continued to the back, where the meat was.

Thankfully, she knew just what she needed her. As she reached for the right package of beef, she heard hushed voices just behind her. A glance revealed it to be the waitress and another woman. They were gesturing towards Jane and talking in low voices. The frown that had earlier marred the scientist's features returned. Gossiping was terribly rude; besides, what could they be saying about Jane? She was a sensible, responsible, intelligent woman. While she wasn't the loveliest sight, she certainly wasn't hard to look at.

She put the meat in her basket, huffed, and stalked off to the next aisle.

Repeats of this situation happened with a few varieties as she continued her shopping. People stared, whispered, pointed, gestured, and even gaped. _Really_? Had everyone in Puente Antiguo lost all sense of social skills? By the time Jane got to the checkout (and was not only stared but _gaped _at!) she wasn't feeling particularly kind. When the girl stumbled over the price of her items and continued to stare, Jane practically threw her money down (exact change, so she could leave this insane grocer) before stalking out of the store with a scowl etched deep into her features.

She tossed the bags into the van, slid into the front seat, and slammed the door. The resounding shake startled Darcy - who had refused to go into the store. The younger girl slid her oversized headphones from her ears and gave her friend a questioning look.

"Did they not have any rice?"

"They had plenty of rice! It took me ten minutes to decide which type of rice to get!"

"Whoa, now. There's no reason to yell about the rice, Jane. What's got your knickers in knots?"

Jane gave her an exasperated look.

"Knickers? Ya know, British..."

"I know what knickers are, Darcy. People just gave me these terrible looks and stares, and they were even pointing at me! How rude can you get? Really? And even the waitress from that diner..."

Darcy returned the favor of cutting across Jane's words with an amused, "I can't believe you don't know why."

She turned to Darcy and glared heatedly at the girl. "You know why they're being so rude?"

"Jane, describe yourself."

"Sophisticated, intelligent, responsible..."

"Right," Darcy cut it. "A regular stick in the mud with a pretty, prim attitude." She ignored the look Jane gave her. "And you're pretty private about your relationship with Thor, too, right?"

"Of course! Our relationship is our business."

"Right, right. Now, look in the mirror."

"What?"

"Look in your mirror, Jane."

"_Why _in the world..."

"Just look in the damn thing."

Rolling her eyes, Jane flipped the visor down to reveal the mirror, catching her sunglasses as she did so. There was nothing on her face; her hair seemed perfectly fine; her teeth were in order; that just left her...

_Oh_.

Jane flushed immediately, flipping the visor back up and slapping her hand over her throat. Darcy was in hysterics next to her. Now she could see the reason behind the stares and whispers. However, did that really merit such a large amount of attention? She asked Darcy.

"Jane, you having a hickey probably turned into you being pregnant and then you and Thor going at it in the diner in five minutes flat. And you were in that store for a while. People in this old bridge town have quite the imagination."

She spent another minute eyeing the purpling bruise on her throat before starting the van and backing up.

"Everybody talks," Jane muttered bitterly.

**Author's Notes:**

**1** I wrote this in, like, ten minutes after having _Everybody Talks_ by Neon Trees stuck in my head. This is the product. Enjoy.  
**2** The town Darcy and Jane live in in Thor is, in fact, called, Puente Antiguo. It means old or ancient bridge in Spanish.


	5. Push

**Warning, lovelies: This one is AU.**

"Thor, I don't think this is a good idea."

Jane Foster would definitely know if something was a good idea. She was a smart, hardworking science major going to one of the best colleges in North America. Even as a teenager, she had been responsible and careful. These traits carried into her adulthood and were now warning her about her boyfriend's plot.

But it was hard for her to deny Thor anything. He was so perfect, with his cute, choppy English (seeing as how he was from a French-speaking part of Canada) and big blue eyes. She still vividly remembered the first time she'd heard his thundering voice. One of her professors had asked her if she would be interested in tutoring another student and she had readily agreed. Thor had announced himself to her with his shaky English when the professor introduced them the next day. After the first session, he had asked her to dinner. They'd been dating for nearly six months when he had this crazy idea.

"Jane, it will be glorious. Darcy Lewis is a very feisty character. My brother will adore her. And I already told him about this." Well, he had technically forced his brother into accepting the offer of a double date that night. However, if it worked out, none of this would matter!

"Darcy doesn't take well to blind dates... She had a really bad experience once."

"She shall love this. My brother is a good man. When we introduce them-" He stopped himself, spotting Darcy exiting her class. "Darcy!" The girl turned at his booming voice, waving and making her way over to her friends.

"Heya Zeus, Jane." The brunette plopped down on to the fountain's edge next to them. She tossed her bag to the side and turned to face her friends. "Whatcha up to?"

"We have been over this many times, Darcy Lewis. My name is Thor."

"I know, big guy. It's just a nickname."

Thor frowned at this, but was apparently too excited for his idea to dwell on the subject. "I have a request."

Darcy looked at him for a moment, contemplating. "Go on..."

"You should come with Jane and I tonight to dinner. My brother shall join us and it will be a twice date."

"A double date, honey," Jane corrected.

"Yes, that."

"No, thanks. I've got a date tonight with Ben, Jerry, and some _Glee_." Darcy stood, picking up her bag. "See ya around."

When Jane saw how Thor's face fell, she groaned inwardly. He would sulk about this all night. "Wait, Darcy," she said quickly and the younger girl paused, "just come out with us tonight. It won't be anything like the blind date Amanda set you up on. Thor's brother is really polite. He's a Lit major and plans to become a professor. His name is Loki."

Darcy honestly burst into laughter at that. At Jane's confused look, she said, "What? You don't get it? Your boyfriend's named after a mythical god and you never felt the need to look up the lore?" Jane shook her head. "In the myths, Thor has a brother named Loki."

"Will you please come with us?" Jane asked, getting back to the topic.

Her friend paused and looked thoughtful. After a while, she replied, "Fine. But if this date sucks, you owe me."

Thor's face broke out into a giant grin and his girlfriend sighed in relief. "No problem."

The group began walking back to Jane and Darcy's shared dorm. Thor wrapped an arm around Jane and proceeded to tell the girls the details for the date tonight. It was fine with Darcy, who spent the walk making jokes that flew right over the Canadian's head. Even with the one-sided banter and confusion, Jane was satisfied. When they reached the dorm and Thor said he would be back at seven to pick them up, Jane began to get nervous. When Darcy was nervous or uncomfortable (and a date would be a prime example of this) she either talked too much or became snarky. On second thought, Darcy talking too much usually led to snark in general. Jane really, really did not want her friend to make a bad impression on Loki's brother, and Thor was so excited for tonight...

Watching her nearly perfect boyfriend disappear down the hallway, she groaned. Jane Foster was a smart, responsible, careful, sensible woman. Who just so happened to turn into a compliant, risk-taking pile of mush when Thor was involved. She sat down to finish her essay before her date with bats rather than butterflies in her stomach.

**Author's Notes:**

**1 **As I said, this one is AU where Thor is simply a French-speaking hunk with an odd name.  
**2** This one will definitely have another part, maybe two.  
**3** I can easily see Darcy being a Gleek. This is expressed in other stories of mine.  
**4** An following installments will have Darcy/Loki.  
**5 **Darcy's date with Ben and Jerry refers to the lovely ice cream, not a threesome.


	6. Demolition Lovers

**Continuation of the last chapter.**

Jane Foster smiled a little at her reflection. She looked nice, lovely even. Her sleek blue dress and slim heels were dressier than she was used to, but the restaurant Thor made reservations at supposedly required this. With slightly shaking hands, she slipped the small hair ornament into the twist of her hair. The flower-shaped thing was delicate and made of tiny jewels; it had been a gift from Thor on the past Valentine's Day.

Yes, she looked lovely. It would certainly do. Her smiled became genuine and she left the bathroom to find Darcy. Thor would be here any minute.

After a bit of searching, she found her roommate in her room, dancing around to some upbeat song, half-dressed. In her underclothes and a pair of nude stockings, Darcy Lewis was quite the shock.

"Darcy!" Jane squealed and turned around, her hands flying up to cover her eyes.

"Hey, Doc, knock much?" Darcy just stood there, staring at Jane like she was crazy. Really? It wasn't as if Jane didn't see the same thing when she looked in the mirror.

"Your door was open! Why aren't you ready yet? Thor will be here any-"

She paused at a familiar, over-enthusiastic knocking.

"Right now," she finished lamely. "Get dressed!" Then she hurried out the room, shutting the door behind her securely.

Shrugging at her roommate's odd behavior, Darcy slipped on her skintight little-black-dress, favorite strappy heels, and pulled her hair into a smart French twist in a matter of minutes. She had on light make-up and her bag was packed. iPod in hand and earbuds in place, she joined Darcy and Thor in the small living room of their dorm. The brunette was talking quietly to her boyfriend, worry lacing her tone. When she noticed Darcy, though, she stopped talking all at once. Her mouth nearly hung open.

"How in the world did you get ready so fast?"

"Not all of us need three hours, Doc. I just had to put on my clothes and pull up my hair. Now let's not keep the mystery man waiting."

Again, Thor was frowning at Darcy's odd comments. He didn't question it when Jane started shaking her head and just tugged him out the door. Darcy strutted down the hallway, a bit wobbly in her heels.

Jane knew this was going to be a long night. The bats in her stomach returned with a new-found fury.

**OoOoO**

The dinner was to take place at a small Italian restaurant called The Olive Branch. Thor looked at the old, vine-covered face of the building with a wrinkle in his nose. Jane, as well, thought it looked a little run down. On the other hand, Darcy was grinning at the homey place. She found it lovely.

"This doesn't look like your normal eatery, big guy," she mentioned to Thor as they walked inside.

"I did not choose; my brother requested we dine here," was his rumbled reply.

"At least he can pick out a decent restaurant," she mumbled as Thor approached the hostess.

"I'd like to think I have decent tastes in more than one area," a silky voice sounded from beside her.

Raising an eyebrow, Darcy turned to look at the speaker. It was a tall, thin man with dark hair and a slightly prominent nose. His cheekbones were sharp and his eyes were a rather stunning green. They definitely seemed mischievous; perhaps he lived up to his name. The man's thin frame was defined well with a light pea coat (in an attractive charcoal color), silky green scarf, white button down, fitted black slacks, and leather boots with a pointed toe.

She shrugged at him. "Your style isn't bad. At least we don't clash."

For a moment, the man (Loki, she presumed) only looked at her. Then he grinned. His grin slowly grew into something larger, until it was a bit mad, and, then, finally, a laugh. His laugh also grew in volume until Thor, Jane, and the hostess stared at him oddly. Darcy, by this point, had also begun to laugh.

After a solid three minutes of their shared laughter, the two calmed down and Loki spoke.

"You must be Miss Lewis. My brother told, or rather warned, me about you. It seems as though you live up to his words. I'm Loki Odinsson."

"I thought so, unless Thor has other brothers with decent tastes in restaurants." She gave him a sly look. "If so," Darcy said to Thor, "feel free to introduce me to them as well. One can never have too much of a good thing."

Loki's smile had turned mischievous, if a bit dark. "Miss Lewis, I think you'll find one will be more than enough to handle."

The brunette looked him over pointedly and grinned. "We'll see."

He merely responded with a devilish smirk and placed a hand on the small of her back, leading her towards a table. They didn't wait for the hostess or their company. Once they sat down, the two began a conversation that kept them both captivated.

Jane stared at the couple. After her initial astonishment wore off, she smiled. It seemed as though there was no need for the bats in her stomach. As Thor held out her chair and she caught Darcy asking how in the world Loki had never heard of _Glee_, the bats finally left her alone. Their dinner was great, with a few rows between Loki and Darcy and a bit of explaining things for Thor. Mostly, everything was fine and quiet. (There were no repeats of their first date, thankfully, in which he smashed a mug on the ground and demanded another because it was good.)

At the end of the night, Darcy informed Jane she was departing with Loki because he was taking her for coffee.

As Jane and Thor drove home, Thor turned to her and smiled. "I told you they would be fine, Jane. I have not seen Loki this happy since we have left our home. He even laughed! Thank you, very much, for convincing Miss Lewis to attend this twice date."

Jane was so taken by his earnest words that she didn't have the heart to correct him.

**Author's Notes:**

**1** This is a continuation of the last chapter, as stated above. So this one was also, clearly, AU.  
**2** Maybe should I just make drabbles of Darcy's wit. It's so much fun.  
**3** This chapter includes a mention on The Olive Branch, a restaurant also mentioned in my story Blue Moon Moments.  
**4** The title of this chapter comes from a My Chemical Romance song that has little to do with the chapter itself.


	7. Waiting

**Day One, Hour One**

Now, there was nothing I could do but wait. And so I waited.

**Day One, Hour Two**

By now, Darcy was sitting next to me tapping away at her phone. I wasn't even sure there was signal out here. Eric had paced for a while before choosing to stare at the sky.

**Day One, Hour Five**

The sky was darkening and it was getting colder. I shivered a lot, but refused to move. I would keep waiting.

**Day One, Hour Seven**

At this point, I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my face. I hated waiting almost more than anything else. I'd almost lulled myself into a sense of calm when Darcy started shaking my arm.

"Doc, look!" She was frantically pointing towards the sky. When I looked up, it didn't look any different. The constellations were properly placed and the Northern Star still shown brightest.

Frowning, I asked, "Look at what?"

Her frown didn't match mine. It seemed more confused than tired. "I thought... It looked like the sky rippled for a moment."

"You're imagining things, Darce."

**Day One, Hour Eight**

"Jane, don't you think we should go back to the research center or your trailer? He knows where we are."

I turned cold, hard eyes on Eric. "No." At this point, I couldn't bring myself to feel guilty about my attitude. I just missed Thor.

**Day One, Hour Twelve**

I sat, just waiting. It was nearly morning, the sun about to peak out over the New Mexico horizon. The air was warming up again. Eric sat in the van. Darcy was on the ground next to me, humming a song to distract herself. Every now and then she would switch to singing it instead.

_The doctor tells me to relax and stand still/Prescribes me a new pill to quell my anger._

My mind was wondering. I worried so much over whether or not Thor was safe, hurt, mortally wounded, dying, dead... All these scenarios spun around in my mind, like fine silk. For the first time, I desperately wished I wasn't a scientist. I wished I didn't know a thousand ways to kill someone, a hundred different ways to die during a battle, tens of looks of pain that could fill someone's face, a few of the most painful wounds from a sword. I wished I didn't imagine Thor in all of those. I wished he would return.

_Waiting for this life to change seems like it's taking me forever /and I can't hold on._

There were tears building up in my eyes at this point. My worries pounded away at my nerves and everything ached. Especially my heart.

I unburied my face, hoping to find something to distract me. The sky was a lot lighter than I thought it would be. I could see the sun by now, bleeding into the starlight.

_This light is breaking into the day/Again, into the day, again._

**Day One, Hour Sixteen**

"Jane, we've been here all night, and half the day before that. I had to nearly drag you to the car so we could go to your place for fifteen minutes."

"I know, Darcy. But I can't leave."

**Day Two, Hour Nine**

Darcy had talked me into taking another shower at my house. The wind had picked up beforehand and I'd felt like a dust bunny with a tumbleweed for hair. After that, we stopped at the diner and picked up some things to go. Eric stayed at the research center. Darcy had a book with her now; a cross word book sat beside me. I stared at the stars again.

**Day Two, Hour Seventeen**

Eric called me and told me to come back. I told him I couldn't. When he started arguing, Darcy took my phone and shut it.

That was two hours ago. He hasn't called since.

**Day Three, Hour Six**

I wasn't hungry anymore. My eyes kept filling with tears, but they never fell. Darcy had a new book and sometimes napped in the van. She told me I would fall asleep sometimes. I never remember it.

**Day Four, Hour Two**

Darcy fell asleep. She was grumbling about missing _Glee_, but I don't think she meant what she said.

I kept waiting for Thor.

**Day Six, Hour Twenty-one**

There was a pattern. Sit and stare for six hours. Pace for another one. Either eat what we had with us or go get something from town for the next hour. Pace for two hours. Sit and stare for four. Shower, change, and eat again for two hours. Sit and stare for three hours. Pace for one. Sit and stare for one. Let Darcy distract me for a final hour.

Somewhere in the hours, Darcy would sleep and, other times, chat or read. I guess I slept during some of the hours I sat. Even my dreams were about waiting, it seemed.

**Day Eight, Hour Three**

"I love you and all Jane, but maybe he isn't coming back."

My dead eyes slid to meet Darcy's.

_He promised._

I didn't have to say anything. She simply nodded and went back to reading.

**Day Eleven, Hour Twenty**

Boots crunched the thick gravel. I couldn't bring myself to turn around. I couldn't bring myself to turn around. After a few minutes, my eyes met a pair of dark pants.

"Miss Foster."

I tipped my head back and met a pair of equally dark sunglasses. A S.H.I. . agent. I stayed silent.

"You need to go back to your research center, now, Miss Foster. S.H.I.E.L.D. has much for you to do, and none of it involves sitting around."

The door to the van flew open with a resounding bang. "She isn't _sitting around_. She's _waiting_."

I imagined the eyes flicked to meet a furious Darcy. "Miss Foster is perfectly capable of _waiting _somewhere besides the middle of the desert. People in Puente Antiguo are starting to question it."

"Duh. And anyone who asked was told we were researching."

"Well, I'm sure much more research could be done in her lab."

"It probably could. I'm not arguing with that."

The agent's lips tightened. "I have direct orders from Director Fury to get Miss Foster back to her lab and begin the work we have for her."

In the end, the agent left with a scowl and probably a learned set of inventive curse words from Darcy. I was still waiting.

**Day Sixteen, Hour Nine**

Darcy was sleeping again. I stood up to pace and look around for the moon. It was gone.

Gone.

_Gone_.

_Like Thor._

In the rational part of my mind, I knew it was just a new moon.

But that didn't seem to matter. All I could do was stand in place, my eyes frozen on the sky. I was searching for something I couldn't find - and I knew it.

**Day Sixteen, Hour Ten**

My breathing and heart rates had gone back to normal. I sat down and put my head between my knees. My stomach stopped churning.

**Day Sixteen, Hour Eleven**

I scared Darcy when I started the engine. She had been snoring softly in the back seat.

When she realized what was going on, she merely climbed into the passenger seat and started fiddling with the radio.

I was alright with that.

Talking would have meant I had to face the fact that I was _leaving_.

When I should be waiting.

**Author's Notes:**  
**1** This one is set directly after Thor leaves.  
**2** Apparently, I really love angsty!Jane and helpful!Darcy.  
**3** The lyrics and overall theme song for this chapter is _Waiting_ by The Red Jumpsuit Appartus.  
**4** Enjoy. Review. Thanks to my readers, followers, reviewers, and those who favorite. Continue rocking.


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